Camp at Govardhan to ensure cleanliness ahead of Janamashtami: NGT to Mathura admin

The National Green Tribunal on Monday directed the district magistrate and the SSP of Mathura to camp at Govardhan for the next two days to ensure cleanliness ahead of the Janamashtami festival that is celebrated with much fanfare in the pilgrimage town.

A bench headed by Justice Raghuvendra S Rathore said the administration shall also ensure that the waste water coming out of temples after offerings to the deity is properly treated and all waste treatment plants remain in operation round the clock.

"We deem it proper, before taking up other issues, to direct the district magistrate Mathura, senior superintendent of police, SDM and all other officers of various departments, who are involved in compliance of the directions given by the tribunal to camp at Govardhan for two days - August 20 and 21 - and ensure that all garbage, and other issues pointed by the commissioner in respect of cleanliness of Parikaram as well as the three temples be completed," the bench said.

The tribunal directed the divisional commissioner and the SP of Bharatpur and the SDO-Deeg to apprise it about constructions being raised in the non-construction zone by Rajasthan.

They shall remain present before the Tribunal on August 28, the next date of hearing, the bench said.

This has been necessitated because even today neither the Counsel on their behalf nor any officer is present, it said.

The tribunal had earlier summoned the DM and SSP of Mathura to explain the administration's preparedness ahead of the Janamashtami festival.

The green panel had earlier directed the chief secretary to explain as to why the directions of the tribunal have not been complied so far even when a clear commitment was made by the government that the same would be executed expeditiously.

The NGT had earlier directed the Uttar Pradesh government to inform it about the reasons for the delay in constitution of a shrine board for three temples at Govardhan.

The tribunal had earlier rapped state authorities over their failure to remove encroachments from forest land in Govardhan, noting that the Forest department has removed only four to five encroachments out of the total 33.

The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by Mathura-based Giriraj Parikrama Sanrakshan Sansthan and others seeking compliance of the NGT's August 4, 2015, directions.

The organisation had raised the issue of civic authorities discharging sewage and municipal waste into ponds and other water bodies in Govardhan.